


Property

by SailorChibi



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alpha!Draco, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bonding, Draco Malfoy Feels, Dubious Consent, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grey Draco, Implied Ron Weasley/Hermione Granger - Freeform, M/M, Mates, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Verse, Omega!Harry, Protective Sirius, Remus Lupin Lives, Sirius Black Lives, dubious consent from heat, fifth year fix-it, grey narcissa, hermione is wise, implied remus lupin/sirius black - Freeform, omegas are property, protective Remus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-04
Updated: 2015-11-04
Packaged: 2018-04-30 02:20:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5146706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Draco had grown up learning that you took just as much care with your possessions as you did your appearance. And for a family that was very, very careful with the way they presented themselves to the world, that said a lot. He oiled and polished his wand, broom and potions set every week. All of his schoolbooks were in excellent condition, with none of the ink spots or scribbles the books of his classmates suffered through. Even his schoolwork was always meticulous.</p><p>It was more than just that, though. He’d never been one for coddling, but that was exactly what he wanted to do right now. He wanted to take his omega and conceal them both in a place where no one would find them. Draco wasn’t just interested in having the image of a perfect omega. It was well within his rights to treat Harry however he wanted, and some alphas took complete advantage of that, but he was discovering a drive, somewhere deep inside, to actually make his omega happy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Property

**Author's Note:**

> This was a commission for anon, who requested omega!Harry and alpha!Draco being mated in a world where omegas are little better than property. It's got an ambiguous ending, but you should know that in my mind they end up being perfectly happy together.

His whole body ached. That was the first thing that Harry noticed. He felt like Aunt Petunia had forced him to clean the house from top to bottom, the way she did when Uncle Vernon was going to have “important guests” over, but he knew that hadn’t happened. He hadn’t seen his relatives since the Order had finally come for him, and thank god for that… one more month locked up at Privet Drive and Harry really might have hitched his trunk to his broomstick and left no matter what Dumbledore said.

He tried to remember what had happened. The train ride to Hogwarts had been mostly normal, if he overlooked Ron and Hermione going to a prefect meeting without him and the strange, bat-winged horses that only he and Luna had been able to see. He remembered getting into the carriage and riding up to the castle with his friends, even climbing out and walking into the castle. But that was it. Had he made it to the Great Hall? Had someone attacked him on the way there?

With effort, he forced his eyes open, half-expecting to see the pristine white walls of the Hospital Wing. Instead, even without his glasses, he could tell that he was somewhere else. That was wood above him, not stone. Frowning, Harry flung out a hand and groped around until he located his glasses. He propped himself up on his free arm and shoved them on, looking around the unfamiliar room. But that turned out to be the least of his worries.

“Stop _moving_.” The arm that was flung across Harry’s hips tightened, as though to yank him back down, and Harry reared back so quickly he nearly fell straight off the bed. Only the presence of said arm saved him, and honestly Harry would rather have fallen. Especially when he remembered why he was naked in a bed with Draco Malfoy.

“Oh Merlin,” Harry choked out, suddenly seeing the pain in his body in a whole new light. Now he recalled walking into the Great Hall and sitting down at the Gryffindor table. It had seemed very warm in the room, and he remembered asking Hermione if she was hot, and the odd look on Hermione’s face when she shook her head. Then Draco had come into the room with a bunch of other Slytherins.

Harry was mortified to remember the rush that had come over him: like someone had turned the heat up twenty degrees. His whole world had narrowed down to Draco, and everything else had fallen away. He had several memories he did not want to examine too closely, but chief amongst them was sliding his fingers into that pale hair and dragging Draco into a deep kiss. He would never live it down if the entire student population at Hogwarts had seen him snogging Draco Malfoy.

“Stop panicking, Potter.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Harry snapped, turning a furious glare on the man lying beside him. “You’re not the one who just found out that they’re an omega.” His stomach clenched as the word escaped. An omega. Harry was definitely fucked, and not just in the usual way.

Draco sighed loudly and sat up, running a hand through his hair. Annoyingly enough, the strands tumbled down around his face like he’d styled them that way. “No, but I did just find out that I’m an alpha and my mate is Harry Potter.”

“Don’t say that. Don’t even think it.” Harry shoved the sheets back and quickly clambered out of the bed. Of course, he was stark naked and covered in several fluids that he didn’t want to identify. He stormed into the loo, pointedly slamming and locking the door behind him, and proceeded to take the hottest shower he could bear. He scrubbed himself all over three times, trying not to think about why certain parts of him – namely, his genitals and the back of his neck - were both sensitive and sore. 

This couldn’t be happening. 

He sank down onto the floor of the shower and stared with unseeing eyes through the steam, wondering what would happen now. In the wizarding world, alphas and betas were most common – which was all well and good for them, because according to wizarding law Harry essentially belonged to Draco and the Malfoy family. Omegas were little better than property. His throat tightened with panic at the realization that, if he wanted to, Draco could drag Harry off to Voldemort and the Ministry wouldn’t lift a finger to protect him.

Last year, right before they left school for the summer, Hermione had pulled him aside and told him a little bit about how things worked in the wizarding world. She wanted to prepare him, she’d said, just in case. Harry buried his face in his hands, wondering if she’d seen this coming. If maybe she’d known, on some level, that he wasn’t good enough to be a beta, never mind an alpha. Why else would she have gone to the trouble of telling him about omegas and how the bond worked?

Someone knocked on the door. Harry flinched. “Go away!”

“Harry, it’s me,” Hermione called through the door. “Ron and Professor Lupin and Snuffles are here with me. Please come out. We need to talk.”

Harry didn’t want to see any of them, but he knew better than to think his friends would leave without making sure he was okay. Reluctantly, he switched the water off and shivered as he stepped out of the stall. He made a half-hearted attempt at drying off and was relieved to find that someone had left a pair of pants and trousers neatly folded on the counter. Probably one of the house elves, he thought, and had never been more grateful for them.

Slowly, he unlocked the door. The second it was open, he was jerked into a hug. He panicked for a split second before recognizing Sirius, and then he collapsed into his godfather’s arms. Sirius hugged him so tightly that it hurt, but Harry didn’t care. The contact meant that Sirius didn’t think he was disgusting and didn’t hate him for what had happened, and that meant way more than a little bit of soreness. He wrapped his arms around Sirius and clung back, not wanting to face the world.

“Shh, kiddo, it’s okay,” Sirius whispered to him, and he petted Harry’s hair. 

“It’s not okay. How can you say that?” Harry demanded, the words a little muffled because his face was pressed against Sirius’s shoulder. He was utterly miserable. “I’m mated to Malfoy, Sirius. _Malfoy_. And not only that, I’m an… an…” He couldn’t make himself say it again. His voice cracked, and he had to shove back the wave of angry tears. 

“I know, Harry, I know. It’s okay.”

It really wasn’t okay, but for a few precious minutes Harry let himself believe in the lie. He felt better when another hand touched the top of his head, and he looked around to see that Remus was standing beside them. Remus’s smile was warm, if a little sad, and Harry transferred a hand from Sirius’s robs to Remus’s sleeve. Standing between the two of them was like being buffered from the rest of the world, and he wished that it could last forever.

Unfortunately, it couldn’t. 

“Harry?” Hermione said finally. She sounded like she’d been crying. Reluctantly, knowing he couldn’t put off the inevitable forever, Harry made himself turn and face them.

Hermione’s face was wet with tears, but she still smiled at him. Ron, on the other hand, wouldn’t even look at him. Harry gritted his teeth against a familiar swell of rage. It was the same anger he’d been struggling with all summer – but this time with it was sharper. He didn’t have a say in this. He hadn’t woken up this morning and decided to be an omega, or that he should have Draco Malfoy for a mate. It was their second year and their fourth year all over again, and he was getting tired of it. 

“You can at least look at me, Ron. I’m not diseased. You’re not going to get sick just by proximity.”

Ron flinched, but he still didn’t look up. “I just never thought you’d be a… you know.”

“You and me both. I didn’t _choose_ this, you know.”

“He knows,” Hermione said sharply, elbowing Ron in the ribs. He grunted and finally lifted his head. “We’ve had this discussion several times over the past four days.”

“Four days?” Harry repeated, shocked.

“You went into heat, kiddo,” Sirius said. “It happens.”

“Dumbledore and Snape are waiting outside to talk to you. Draco is with his parents,” said Remus. “I believe Dumbledore wants to speak to you first.”

That familiar feeling of icy panic rushed over Harry again. He didn’t want to meet the Malfoys. He didn’t want anything to do with them. It was too easy to imagine Lucius making the announcement that Harry was to be immediately pulled out of school, and then marching him straight into Voldemort’s hands. He clutched Remus and Sirius tighter, as though their presence would be enough to stall the inevitable. Over his head, they exchanged worried looks.

“It will be okay, Harry,” said Hermione. “Dumbledore won’t let anything bad happen.”

He could tell that she didn’t really believe that. By law, the Malfoys could do whatever they wanted. But he appreciated her saying it anyway. “Thanks, Hermione. I guess… you can let them in.”

“Harry,” Remus said, leaning down to speak into his ear. His voice was very quiet, and Ron and Hermione both turned away like they weren’t listening. “I promise you, it _will_ be okay. If the Malfoys try to make you leave, or do anything else you’re not comfortable with, Sirius and I will take you away. You won’t have to see Draco if you don’t want to. You are not locked into this by any stretch of the imagination. We won’t let them hurt you.”

“But that’s illegal,” Harry protested. It wasn’t even considered kidnapping; in the eyes of the wizarding world that was considered theft, and a family like the Malfoys wouldn’t take that lightly.

Sirius barked out a laugh. “I’ve spent over ten years in prison for something I didn’t do, Harry. It would be worth the risk of getting sent back to make sure you were safe.”

“But –”

“No buts. Just keep that in mind, pup.” Remus squeezed his shoulder and then nodded to Hermione. She immediately went to the door and opened it. Dumbledore and Snape entered. Sirius sneered at Snape, but there was no real malevolence in the glare. 

“Hello, Harry,” Dumbledore said kindly. “How are you doing?”

Harry shrugged. He still wasn’t pleased about being kept in the dark all summer, or about Dumbledore’s distance from him. It seemed like Dumbledore only cared when something had happened that put the future of the wizarding world in danger, and that stung. “Fine, I guess. All things considered.”

“Indeed. This is not the best outcome we could have hoped for.”

Snape snorted. “That’s an understatement, Headmaster. You’re fortunate, Potter, that you ended up with Draco and not one of the other purebloods.”

“Fortunate isn’t the word I would use,” Harry snapped.

“I am well aware of your petty schoolboy squabble, which I assume will finally be at an end now that you’re bonded,” Snape replied, eyeing him coolly. He didn’t sound thrilled, but nor did he sound dismayed. “Regardless, this could be exactly what we need to sway Draco to the light.”

Everyone, even Dumbledore, stared at him.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Ron sputtered at last. 

“I am perfectly serious, Mr Weasley. Headmaster, this is not the first time Narcissa has approached me about wanting to keep Draco safe. She believes that it won’t be long before You-Know-Who approaches him with a task. If Draco refuses, he’ll be killed. If he succeeds…” Snape paused meaningfully before continuing, “Until now, there hasn’t been a reliable alternative. Draco had no reason to turn his back on his family.”

“It would be the right thing to do!” Ron exclaimed. “Why the bloody hell wouldn’t he –”

“Ten points from Gryffindor for your language,” Snape said, before he kept right on talking. “Now Draco has a reason. I am well aware of the wizarding world’s opinion on omegas, but no alpha wants to see death or worse come to their omega. Some of the other purebloods would have overcome this instinct in the name of family and the Dark Lord, but I believe Draco will want to protect Potter, and the only way of doing so is obvious. Particularly when he will have Narcissa’s, if not Lucius’s, support, even if only behind closed doors.”

“You think he wants to protect me?” Harry repeated, some of his anger fading.

Snape looked directly at him. “You are fortunate, Potter,” he said again. “My alpha was not nearly so kind.”

“You’re an omega?” Harry said, shocked. Ron and Hermione both looked surprised as well, but Remus, Sirius and Dumbledore not so much. Clearly, the three of them had already known. 

“I am. And I know Draco. He may be a spoiled, possessive child at times, but that will work in your favour in this case. You do realize the most of the other purebloods would deliver you straight to Voldemort?”

“I know.” To be honest, Harry still wasn’t sure that the Malfoys wouldn’t do the same thing. But in spite of himself, he couldn’t help remembering how it felt to wake up in bed beside Draco. Safe. Like nothing could hurt him. That wasn’t a feeling he got the chance to experience very often. Even now, when logic told him that Draco wouldn’t be nearly strong enough to stand up to Voldemort, he still felt that way. 

It was confusing, because he wasn’t supposed to feel that way, and his head started to ache at the conflicting feelings. A dizzy feeling came over him. He put a hand to his forehead, not even realizing that he was swaying until Sirius gripped his shoulder to steady him. Just this once, he let himself lean against his godfather as Remus turned to Dumbledore.

“Headmaster, this has been a lot for Harry to take in. Before we go any further, I think Madame Pomfrey should come take a look at him. Just to make sure that nothing is wrong.”

“I’m fine,” Harry mumbled.

“Harry,” Sirius chided quietly. 

“Remus is right,” Dumbledore said. “Severus, you and I need to speak with Mr. Malfoy before we let him see Harry again. Harry, I ask that you remain in this room until I say otherwise. Alphas can be unpredictable when it comes to their omegas, and I wouldn’t put it past Mr. Malfoy to give into his instincts and come looking for you. Sirius and Remus can protect you if necessary.”

“Isn’t that illegal, sir?” Hermione asked. “To keep an alpha from their –” She cut off abruptly, casting a sick look at Harry.

“This is my school, Miss Granger. I will not let anyone be harmed here,” Dumbledore replied. “I will send Madame Pomfrey along. Severus.” The headmaster swept out of the room. Snape followed.

In the heavy silence that fell, Harry turned his head into Sirius’s shoulder and wished that it was possible to hide there forever. He still ached all over, but there was a pit forming in his stomach that no potion would be able to heal. His future, never a shining beacon, was looking bleaker than ever. His choices were between running away and being forever miserable without his alpha, or taking a risk on Draco Malfoy. Maybe it would be better to just save everyone the trouble and give himself up to Voldemort now.

\--

There was a certain part of Draco that was galled at being separated from his omega so quickly. Immediately after Harry disappeared behind a locked door, Severus ushered him out of the room. Instinct demanded that he rush back to Harry’s side, but the cooler head that Slytherins were famous for prevailed: Harry didn’t want to see him, and trying to push him right now would only worsen the situation. The last thing Draco wanted was to spook his omega.

It would be easy to do that, too. His stomach clenched at the memory of the stark fear on Harry’s face as he bolted out of the bed. Even if he and Harry had been the best of friends, finding out that you were an omega… well. It wasn’t something that Draco would have wished on his worst enemy. He was intimately familiar with the rules of the wizarding world. He knew that if he ordered Harry to follow him to Voldemort, hell if he trussed Harry up and carted him off to Voldemort, no one would be legally able to do a damn thing.

That wasn’t the positive thought that it should have been.

Severus showed him to a small chamber, squeezed his shoulder briefly, drew his wand to conjure a robe and cast several cleaning charms, and then departed. Draco slipped on the robe, tying it loosely, and stepped into the room to find his parents waiting for him. His father was standing by the window and did not acknowledge his entrance, but his mother rose immediately and came to give him a brief hug.

“My little dragon,” she murmured, and he heard the pride in her voice. “You’ve come into your own. I’m so proud of you.”

“It was unexpected,” Draco said, hugging her back. “Mother, my mate is Harry Potter.”

“We know. Severus sent us a letter,” Narcissa replied, taking a step back and straightening the hem of his robe. “How is he doing?”

“Not well. I don’t know how much he remembers, but he was upset this morning.” He suspected Harry probably didn’t remember much, which was for the best. The past four days had been filled with non-stop sex. Omegas in their first heats were particularly insatiable, and more than once Draco had passed out only to wake up to find Harry climbing on top of him. Not that he minded. Just the memory of the desire in those hazy green eyes was enough to make him shiver.

Narcissa gave him a knowing look. “That’s to be expected. You’ll have to tread carefully with him, Draco. It would be difficult for anyone to know they’re an omega, but Mr. Potter is not as familiar with our world as he should be. It will be your job to educate him now.”

Draco nodded slowly, looking between the two of them. To be honest, he wasn’t sure what he had expected of this conversation. Would his parents want him to take Harry to the dark lord? Logically, for a family that had long since vowed loyalty to the dark, it made sense. Voldemort would kill the Boy-Who-Lived, and the Light would be devestated. Everyone knew that Dumbledore was just biding time until Harry was ready to face Voldemort; without him, it would be easy for the dark lord to conquer the wizarding world. 

But something inside of him was rebelling against that. Draco had grown up learning that you took just as much care with your possessions as you did your appearance. And for a family that was very, very careful with the way they presented themselves to the world, that said a lot. He oiled and polished his wand, broom and potions set every week. All of his schoolbooks were in excellent condition, with none of the ink spots or scribbles the books of his classmates suffered through. Even his schoolwork was always meticulous.

Harry belonged to him now. Already there were vague plans forming in the back of his mind: he could take Harry shopping for clothing that not only fit, but was better suited for a halfblood lord. He could get rid of those dreadful spectacles – at the very least, if Harry’s eyes couldn’t be fixed, he could be fitted with something more appropriate. The picture of a well-dressed Harry Potter on Draco’s arm was an appealing one indeed.

It was more than just that, though. He’d never been one for coddling, but that was exactly what he wanted to do right now. He wanted to take his omega and conceal them both in a place where no one would find them. Draco wasn’t just interested in having the image of a perfect omega. It was well within his rights to treat Harry however he wanted, and some alphas took complete advantage of that, but he was discovering a drive, somewhere deep inside, to actually make his omega happy. 

All of that was dependent on how this conversation with his parents went.

The silence after Narcissa’s comment had dragged on. Finally, Lucius broke it. “I must go,” he said to Narcissa. “The longer I spend here, the more of a risk it becomes.”

“Go,” she said. “I won’t be long following.”

“Draco,” Lucius said.

“Father?”

“Make us proud.”

Draco frowned. “I will, Father.” He watched in mounting confusion as Lucius strode from the room and turned to Narcissa. “Mother?”

Now that they were alone, Narcissa’s smile was sad. “You have an omega, my dragon. Your first duty is to him, not to your family. Some families would ask that you prove your loyalty by sacrificing Harry to the dark lord, but…” She trailed off and sighed, lifting her hand like she might touch his face. “Your father would have asked that you sacrifice yourself and follow Voldemort if things had turned out differently, but the prospect of leaving you without a mate seems to have woken him up.”

“What are you saying?” Draco whispered.

“We are going to disown you,” Narcissa said, and Draco reeled back as though he’d been slapped. “It’s the only way to keep you safe. I have already asked the goblins to give you full access to my personal vaults. They’re yours now, and should be more than enough to give you and your omega a comfortable life. Or to fund the war efforts of the Light, should you wish to go that path, though I would prefer that you stayed out of it entirely.”

“Mother…” Draco was staggered. Given enough time to think about it, he would have seen this coming. As it was, it was a shock.

“This isn’t how I wanted things to be, Draco. But your father and I are in too deep to just walk away, and Dumbledore wouldn’t extend us the same offer of protection that he did your godfather. It would be asking too much of the Light’s already depleted sources. You, on the other hand, have not pledged your loyalty, and Harry needs you. By disowning you, the dark lord will believe that we have turned our backs on you.”

“You don’t have the mark, either,” Draco pointed out. Though his mother always wore long sleeves, he knew the flesh of her forearm was still bare. He didn’t know how she’d gotten around taking the mark all these years, considering that her husband and her sister were both part of Voldemort’s inner circle. And the pressure on him to get the dark mark as soon as he turned seventeen was very heavy.

“I can’t abandon my mate.” There was a mild reproof in her voice, because he was asking her to do what she wouldn’t ask of him, and Draco winced. 

“What if I wanted to give Harry up?” he said suddenly. “What if that was my choice?”

Her eyebrows rose. “Is it? I never would have taken you for one of those alphas.” Now she sounded distasteful. “You’ve been given a gift, Draco. In the eyes of the wizarding world, Harry Potter is yours, and that means everyone will be watching to see how you treat him. Just because you have the law backing you doesn’t mean there aren’t ways for his friends to get around that, as I’m sure you know.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “You will take care of him in a way that is befitting of your family, even after you have been disowned. Am I clear?”

Automatically, he said, “Yes, Mother.”

“Good. Your father is going to speak to some people. If he can set it up so that the Malfoy name and trust will revert to you on our deaths, he will. This is temporary.”

“Mother…” 

“Shh, my dragon. It’s inevitable at this point. I’m not afraid, and neither is your father. Sometimes when you make a poor choice in your youth, you have to live with the consequences for the rest of your life. Remember that, and don’t forget it.”

“I won’t.” His eyes were burning, but he held back the tears, not wanting to disgrace his parents by crying like a child. 

This time, she did touch him, her hand cupping his cheek. “This isn’t what I planned, but it could have been worse. You have the perfect excuse to not take the dark mark. The dark lord will want to kill you, of course, and so will the death eaters and some of your classmates. You’ll have to be on guard constantly, even more so than you already are. But you’ll also be afforded protection that you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. Potter would survive if you were killed, but his life would be miserable at best – so make him fall in love with you, Draco, and love him in return. Give no one from the Light cause for concern. It’s your best chance to survive this war.”

Draco nodded wordlessly. If he spoke, his voice would crack and he wouldn’t be able to keep the tears at bay. She was right, of course: somehow, his mother always was. His thoughts had been in such a confusing tumble until now, but as always she’d been three steps ahead of him and had laid it out perfectly. So perfectly that he looked at her with sudden suspicion.

“Did you see this coming?”

“I couldn’t have known who your mate would be,” she said innocently. When he scowled at her, she laughed. “Very well. I will admit that I had my suspicions, but they were mine alone. I thought you would be an alpha, and your interest in Mr. Potter has been evident from the moment that you two met… not to mention, your clashes with him were always so _passionate_. But I didn’t expect him to be an omega. I thought he would be a beta. This just works out so much better.”

“Better for some,” Draco said quietly, nauseous. It had always been in the back of his mind that his parents probably wouldn’t survive the war, but hearing it laid out so openly was sickening. From this point on, as soon as his father filed the paperwork, they would be effectively dead to him. Any communication would be too much, and would risk having the dark lord think of his parents as traitors. That would definitely seal their fate.

“Better for you, and that’s what matters to me. I will do what I can for your father and me, but it gives me great comfort to know you’ll be safe if you keep your wits about you.” She dropped her hand and took a step back to put some distance between them. “Don’t forget what I told you.”

“I won’t.” He didn’t turn around to watch her go, but he heard the click of the door closing and knew that he was alone. Grief tightened his chest to the point where it was difficult for him to breathe. He didn’t want to follow the dark lord, but for the sake of his family he would have. Now, unless he wanted to offer up his omega on a silver platter, he had no choice. 

Narcissa was a very smart witch, though, and he clung to that fact. If there was any way for her and Lucius to come out of this alive, they would. He sat down and looked out the window for a long time, trying to come to terms with being disowned. While it made sense in terms of helping to keep his family safe from suspicion, it essentially painted a target on Draco’s back. He hadn’t exactly made many friends outside of Slytherin, and even inside the house, only the influence of his family kept him safe. Now that protection would be gone.

It was fortunate that Harry had so many people who were loyal to him, he thought grimly. Because Draco had no clue if he would be able to keep his omega safe. Right now, he had next to nothing.

Sometime later, the door opened behind him. “Draco?”

“Yes?” Draco answered, not bothering to turn to face his godfather. He felt too hollow for that, like his mother had reached inside of him and carved any emotion out.

“Narcissa explained her plan to me,” Severus said, stepping into the room. “It makes sense.”

“I know.”

There was a long pause from behind him. Then Severus cleared his throat. “You should come see to Potter. He’s not well; I think it’s too much of a strain on him to be separated from you right now.”

Even as he quickly turned, Draco was aware that he had been manipulated. Severus was not the kind of man to spend time on false reassurances, but by mentioning Harry, every instinct in Draco snapped back online. He was standing before he’d fully registered that his body was moving. “What do you mean, he’s not well?”

"Newly bonded omegas shouldn't be left alone. You know that. It weakens them. And you won't be much better off if you spend too much time away. Aside from that, not many people are happy with what has happened, Draco. Leaving Potter alone while his health deteriorates is not the way to earn goodwill."

Draco could have made excuses, but there was no point. Severus was right. He stood up. "Severus, do you think I've made the right decision?"

"Are you asking me whether or not you should give Potter to the dark lord?" Severus raised an eyebrow. "I think you already know the answer to that. We've discussed it before. No one will flourish under the reign of the dark lord except for the dark lord. As it stands, if you act properly you could have most of the wizarding world eating out of your hand. Cross over the line, and I guarantee Potter's mutt of a godfather will make you disappear. You have been afforded a unique opportunity here. I would strongly advise you not to waste it."

Hearing it again solidified his decision. Draco nodded. "Where is Harry?"

"Still in the same room. I will accompany you; the headmaster wishes to speak with you before you see Potter again."

"Fine," Draco said, even though it wasn't. Now that Severus had drawn his attention to it, he could feel a growing desire to get back to Harry. Like there was something vital he was missing so long as he was without his omega. And he knew from the lessons he'd been given growing up that it would only continue to get worse. The sooner he talked to Dumbledore, the better.

\---

Madame Pomfrey fussed over Harry for a few minutes, giving him a calm potion and a mild healing potion meant to ease the aches in his body. He took them without complaint, shuddering at the dreadful taste. She just smiled, patted his shoulder and went to go speak to Remus and Sirius. That left Harry alone with Hermione and Ron, who still wouldn't look directly at him. 

"I meant what I said before," Harry said. "You won't catch being an omega if you look at me."

The tips of Ron's ears reddened, but he lifted his head without being prompted by Hermione. "I know," he muttered. "It's just weird. I thought you'd be an alpha for sure."

"You can't always tell based on personality alone," Hermione said, adopting her lecturing voice. "It's based on your family and genetics, you know. Your parents were both betas, Harry, but if I recall correctly your grandmother on your father's side was an omega. And both of your grandparents had at least one sibling that was an omega. That's why I thought there was a chance you would be, too. Obviously I was hoping I'd be wrong." She stopped, tugging anxiously at her hair.

"I guess not," Harry said with a bitter smile. "Figures fate would have one more obstacle to chuck at me. Everything else in my life sucks. I don't see why this should be any different."

"Maybe it won't be that bad," Hermione said.

Ron cast her a look of complete disbelief. "Are you mental, Hermione? He's mated to Malfoy!"

"I know that. But honestly, Ron, Malfoy's a git sometimes, but it could have been worse. Think about what would have happened if Harry had been mated to Nott or Parkinson," Hermione said, glaring at him. "There are any number of purebloods who would've slapped a bow on Harry's forehead and carted him straight off to Voldemort."

"And what makes you think Malfoy won't do the same thing?" Ron challenged.

"Because despite what you think, Malfoy is actually pretty intelligent. He must see that this is the perfect excuse to get away from Voldemort."

Ron flinched a little, but snapped back, "That's stupid. Malfoy's just as dark as his parents."

"You don't know that, Ron!"

"What I know is that we should be thinking of a way to keep Harry from out of that's slimy Slytherin's hands!"

"Ronald Weasley, I swear -"

Harry had to smile as he watched his bickering friends. Intentional or not, Hermione had actually done him a huge favour by getting Ron all riled up about Malfoy, because it meant that Ron would be less focused on the whole omega thing. Now if he could just figure out a way to get them past bickering and into snogging, things would be a lot more bearable.

He looked up when he heard the door open. Dumbledore beckoned to him. Harry hesitated for a second, waiting for Remus to nod at him, before he got up and crossed the room. When he stepped out into the corridor, Draco and Snape were already there waiting. He folded his arms across his chest, trying to ignore the way Draco's proximity made his skin tingle. The distance between felt simultaneously too large and too small.

"You can relax. I'm not going to take you to the dark lord," Draco said suddenly. 

"You couldn't have even if you tried," Harry replied, but he did relax a little.

"Harry, in exchange for protection, Mr. Malfoy has agreed that he will not be supporting Voldemort," Dumbledore said quietly. "As a result, his family has disowned him."

"What?" Harry blurted out, horrified. He could tell from the look on Draco's face that it was true. "That's - why the hell would you do something like that?"

Draco stared at him. "Uh, you're welcome?"

"But... I just..." Harry looked helplessly at the headmaster, at a loss for words. Everyone knew that the Malfoy family name was everything to Draco. Hearing that Draco had given it up that easily - for _him_ \- was staggering.

Dumbledore just gave him a small smile. "There are ways to lessen the impact of the bond, but they are dangerous and unpleasant. I strongly suggest you boys attempt to work things out between yourselves if possible. Since you are both underage, I have to insist that you remain confined to the castle until Christmas. We'll revisit the subject at that time. As for rooms, you'll both be relocated to a small room just off Gryffindor tower - and for a chaperone, I'll ask Professor Lupin to stay with you. Just to make sure that nothing untoward happens."

"You mean to make sure we don't kill each other in the middle of the night," Harry said, though he still thought it much more likely Draco would try to kidnap him. Or maybe not. He stared hard at Draco. This situation was not turning out the way he'd thought it would.

"I'm okay with that," Draco said, glancing at Snape. 

"Harry?" Dumbledore said.

Harry opened his mouth and then closed it. His first instinct was to say no. That was what he would've done when he first woke up this morning. But now Draco wasn't a Malfoy and had turned his back on the dark, and he'd done it for Harry. He was under no illusions that things would just be perfect between them - there was a reason the two of them had been fighting for years, after all - but maybe Hermione was right. Maybe it really could have been worse. And maybe, much as it galled a part of him, he should give Draco a chance.

He took a deep breath, hoping that he wouldn't live to regret this moment, and said, "Okay."

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/).


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